Assembly bill would make Loft Law and Quick Draw permanent (update)

A bill introduced Tuesday by the Rules Committee of the Assembly led by Speaker Sheldon Silver would end the historic sunsetting of the Loft Law and Quick Draw, which have been linked for political reasons for many years.

The laws would become permanent as opposed to having to be regularly reinstated under the bill, an amendment to legislation passed on Monday. The Loft Law, involving multiple dwellings, would protect residents in New York City units who resided there for at least 12 months during January 2008 to December 2009. The Quick Draw game would live on without expiration, and language that has restricted the lottery game to 13 hours a day and no more than eight hours at a time would be removed, apparently allowing all-day playing. The goal was to end a one-hour siesta from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and allow operation of the game from 10 a.m. to midnight.

Assemblyman Vito Lopez, D-Brooklyn, said he was unaware of the total relaxation of Quick Draw hours as part of the negotiated bill, which he said has three-way agreement among Gov. David Paterson, the Assembly and the Senate. Kevin Parker, D-Brooklyn, said it appears the bill is going to fly in the Senate. Morgan Hook, Paterson’s spokesman, agreed that the bill is supported by Paterson.

Yet, the Assembly bill moved at the request of Brooklyn’s Lopez, Joan Millman and Joseph Lentol and Silver, of Manhattan, is running into some opposition in the Senate from Brooklyn Democrat Eric Adams and Manhattan Democrat Thomas Duane. Adams said he likes the periodic checkups on Quick Draw that result from letting the law expire regularly. Duane, who says linking the two unrelated measures is a symbol of the dysfunction in Albany, says loft protections should be made stronger.

The two bills have been linked for years because Gov. George Pataki and the Senate, when it was controlled by Republicans at the time, wanted to make sure Quick Draw was made legal, while the Assembly, with strong New York City representation, was more concerned about housing and renters protections, according to long-time members. Quick Draw is a video lottery game that opponents have dubbed video crack.

Update: Adams’ office later stated that he had misstated his position; he indeed is OK with a permanent Quick Draw law. Allowing Quick Draw to operate between 3-4pm would generate $9 million in 2010-11 and $12 million annually thereafter, says the Division of the Budget.